


As We Fall

by awintersrose



Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, F/M, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kirigakure, Mutual Pining, Smut Monday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-03
Updated: 2017-04-03
Packaged: 2018-10-14 10:54:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10535001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awintersrose/pseuds/awintersrose
Summary: Adrenaline makes us brave, love makes us weak. When both are gone, there is nothing left to lose. As Kirigakure deteriorates from within, Terumi Mei puts everything on the line to save that which she considers more important than herself.





	

**Author's Note:**

> April submission for Smut Monday on Tumblr with @beyondthemoor. Theme: Heroine.

The coastal plain is a chaotic ruin as Kirigakure ninja are surrounded on all sides, with the enemy’s vanguard steadily approaching. Their fighters are too easily overtaken, falling one by one to a well-mobilized group of unknown shinobi, possibly missing-nin, but this group is far too well-organized for this to be coincidence. Yagura’s orders have led their unit beyond the borders of their homeland and into a squirmish that suspiciously resembles a trap, which only gives Terumi Mei indication that the Yondaime Mizukage has been somehow tipped off to the renewed rumblings of discontent among their ranks. There have been murmurings of possible underground efforts to mobilize against him, and while the resistance is small and weak, somehow even the breath of possible dissent warrants the massacre of even the innocent among their number, and in her heart of hearts, Mei knows that they cannot survive under such tyranny any longer. She has always considered herself a patriot of her village, and the choice to lend her support to the faction plotting against their leader was difficult but necessary. The Bloody Mist has become a place known for its heartless savagery, a place where none can thrive. It is a village whose children are endlessly sacrificed to the war machine in conflict after conflict, but there is no safety close to home either, for if they do not fall to the hand of enemy nin, then they are weeded out from among their own. **  
**

There is an opening to the east, and if it can be held, then the majority of their unit might have some hope of getting out of this alive. Quickly, Mei decides on a course of action, and once it is set in her mind, she is prepared and willing to do what she must, even if this is the last decision she makes. The budding hopes of their cause are too precious, and there will be no end to the horrors abiding over their village if they are all struck down today. As captain, she signals for a retreat to the east - at the very least, she knows that if Ao and his squad can get through, then the risk and sacrifice she faces on her own will be worth it.

“Fall back!” she orders, and her first and second lieutenants do not fail to notice that Mei remains unmoving, standing her ground and molding massive amounts of chakra in preparation for an offensive diversion to the enemies that still approach. While the majority of their unit follows her orders, the eight members of the squad under her immediate command spread out at her back, and she signals them to move.

“No, Taichou! We will not leave you behind. If you intend to go down, we go with you.” her second in command yells.

Mei squares her shoulders and nods. Five seconds later, she unleashes hell on the opposing forces in a flood of lava followed by blasts of airborne acid mist, taking out a great deal of the first wave. When the second smaller wave of enemy nin approach, her squad faces them head on, while the other members of their unit make haste to the east, doubling back past the borders of the Land of Water. Mei fights like a woman possessed, lost in battle frenzy for as long as she can until her chakra begins to become depleted, and the weariness hits.

Several of her men have gone down, and she is surrounded. The enemy’s side has taken a high number of casualties, but there are only five Kiri-nin left, six if she includes herself, and they still face more than double their number. Mei breathes deep, nearly choking on the scent of blood and fire, and she forces back the protests of the little girl in her head that doesn’t want to die before ever truly being allowed to live. The calm of acceptance begins to settle into her bones when suddenly there is someone else fighting at her back, wild and untamed, like a berserker, with powerful, familiar chakra radiating over him in waves. She doesn’t have to look back to know who it is, and she is torn between anger and gratitude at his blatant insubordination.

“What are you doing?” Mei yells.

“I couldn’t leave you here to die, now could I?” Hoshigaki Kisame says, hefting his monstrous sword and giving her a toothy grin. “Trying to play the hero alone…don’t you know we’re always better together?”

His smugness always infuriates her, but it gives her the push she needs to harness the last bits of her strength and continue fighting. Between the two of them, she and her former teammate exact vicious punishment on their foes until the opposing forces eventually call for their own retreat, and though the remaining Mist shinobi are still alive, it is far from a victory. The whole mission was a failure, undoubtedly staged to reduce the number of dissenters among Kiri’s forces. They have lost a great deal of fighters today, and Mei suspects hunter-nin have already been placed on standby to process the corpses.

Hours later, when she arrives at the nearest Kiri stronghold with Kisame and the five other survivors in tow, the mood is somber and bleak. Yet in the pseudo-privacy of of the barracks, she has secured the smallest hopes of the resistance, and Ao brings her coded word of their respect and appreciation. She orders his squad to return home to Kirigakure immediately to report the failure, which she is certain will come as no surprise to their leader. The rest of the unit will move the next day, so that the handful of wounded might be stabilized, though none of them have any idea of the kind of welcome awaiting them. Mei only knows that she is alive for at least one more night, and that she should bathe and rest, but the residual buzz of battle rage vibrates beneath her skin and she cannot calm down.

Mei shoulders her pack and heads to the small bath house nonetheless, though her hands still shake and her pulse pounds in her chest. As expected, there are no divisions separating the sexes within this base, not that it would be any more secure if there were. The lives of Mist kunoichi are brutal, and there are no repercussions for crimes such as rape; in most cases their training even requires it, under the assumption that strong kunoichi should always be prepared for and accustomed to being used in such ways. In the event that they are captured, a kunoichi of Kirigakure must not be susceptible to enemies who employ such tactics in torture. At home, a Mist kunoichi’s best defense is her own strength, and if she cannot hold her own against a male ninja, then whatever happens is deemed her fault in the eyes of the government and vice versa, if the situation is reversed, which is rare, but some of Kiri’s kunoichi are even more vicious than their male counterparts. A woman can be considered fully equal in power to any man, but there are no sanctioned protections in this manner, for either gender. 

The water is hot, thankfully, and Mei settles under one of the showerheads with her eyes closed, leisurely rinsing the blood, dirt, and soot from her skin, feeling the sting of the shallow cuts along her limbs, and one larger gash across her ribs. A familiar presence enters the room, and she knows without looking that it is Kisame, starting one of the showers across the small room. Mei peers at him appreciatively from beneath the cover of her hair, admiring the way the water falls over the pale blue-tinged expanse of his skin, and the well-wrought muscle defining his back. He has always been the tallest among their generation, from childhood, and his large frame has always served to intimidate those who are not already intimidated by the swordsman’s reputation. Mei’s eyes wander lower, and she stops herself, blushing furiously as she forces her eyes back up to his face. Kisame runs a hand through the dark blue locks of his hair, luxuriating in the feel of the water running down his back. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, he grins rakishly.

“If you take a picture, it might last longer, Mei-chan.” His deep voice echoes in the small bathing chamber, and her heart stutters at the sound.

“I don’t need a picture of what I already know,” she drawls, rinsing her hair.

“Except you don’t know. You’ve looked, but never touched,” he says matter-of-factly, “in spite of many opportunities. Why is that?”

“Because it would change things.” Mei soaps her skin, breathing deep to calm the butterflies that threaten to burst out of her chest. She is already wound tight and on edge with the aftershocks of battle, and his ill-timed flirting is not helping her in the slightest.

“It would change nothing.” Kisame swiftly crosses the space between them before she can blink, and presses her shoulders against the tiled wall. She gasps as he runs his nose up the curve of her neck and jaw, holding her still.

“It’s always been this way, Mei-chan. You watching me, me watching you, wanting, always wanting, ever since we were old enough to know what desire felt like. The both of us always courting death instead of each other.”

A thrill of electricity runs straight through her core, because he is right, and they have been dancing around the forces of mutual regard and attraction ever since they came of age. His breath is hot in her ear, and she trembles, but not from fear. She fears no man, and regardless of that, he won’t force her, as she knows he considers such acts to be unnecessary and beneath him. Kisame considers himself to be a scoundrel without honor, but there are still some lines he will not cross, even under orders. He had a sister once, whose emotional health did not survive her coming of age “training”, and he has never forgotten it. He has always considered it better to give an enemy a swift ending than to use them in such ways.

“K-Kisame, we can’t, not now.” she whispers, her eyes fixed on his chest, wanting nothing more than for him to fully close the distance between their bodies, but she is afraid to admit it to him.

“Mei-chan, your eyes give you away. Say yes, just this once, before the day finally comes where we don’t walk away from the battlefield. Be with me tonight.” His large, calloused hand is gentle on her cheek, and she unconsciously leans into the touch, her sea green eyes finally meeting his gaze directly. There is open yearning there, and the edge of pure hunger, and before she can stop herself, the word tumbles past her lips.

“…yes.”

He lets out a breath, as if he was not expecting an affirmative response, and in an instant his lips close over hers, soft, warm, and much more gentle than she would have expected. Mei responds in turn, eagerly lacing her fingers through his wet hair, and he grows bolder, dipping his tongue past her lips. Kisame kisses her as though he is savoring something sweet, slowly tasting her with languid caresses of his tongue against hers, and Mei sighs, lost in the dizzying excitement coursing through her veins. His hands span her waist, bringing her flush against the muscled bulk of his body, and she moans softly at the feeling of his hot, wet skin sliding across her own. The press of his mouth grows more urgent with every soft sigh tumbling from her lips, until they hear the sound of the main door opening, and he quickly pulls away.

“Not here,” he says softly in her ear, “Your quarters in ten minutes?”

Mei nods, slightly dazed. There would have been no shame in coupling there, plenty of shinobi did so. The official rules were lax regarding fraternization and casual sexual encounters in private spaces, so long as it meant their fighters were free of distraction on the battlefield. However, Mei is grateful for his sense of prudence, because while she would have preferred that their first time together take place without possible spectators, she was in no frame of mind to say so while he kissed her.

They finish bathing separately, each dressing and leaving the bath house one after another, staggering their exits so it is not obvious that they are leaving together. Mei’s heart flutters wildly, like a captive bird within her chest as she approaches the tiny room she has been allotted for the night, in accordance with her rank. Kisame is already there, his tall, powerful form taking up most of the space in the small closet of a bedchamber, and she closes the door behind her, locking it securely. Then his arms are around her, and his lips press ardently against hers, stealing her breath and forcing warmth to puddle low in her body. His fingers tangle in her damp auburn hair as he sucks and nibbles at her lips. Her hands splay along the thick muscles of his shoulders, and she sighs deeply as his lips traverse her mouth, jaw, and throat.

Mei tugs at the long sleeved uniform shirt he wears, and he pulls it away from his body, eagerly tossing it on the floor, before moving in to kiss her again. His mouth moves against hers almost reverently, and his embrace is strangely delicate, as if he is concerned that she might be injured under the strength of his hands. His bare skin is warm, smooth, and unexpectedly soft, accented with an array of scars. Mei greedily runs her hands up and down the exposed planes of his body until he shivers, breaking away long enough to lift the hem of her shirt.

“May I?” he asks softly.

“Yes.” Mei responds, lifting her arms to hasten the process. She hadn’t bothered to replace her bindings before leaving the bath house, and his eyes flit over her hungrily, somehow making her feel even more exposed than when they were both nude in the group showers together. Her nipples tighten in the cool air of the room and he lightly molds his hands against the generous curves of her breasts, running his thumbs across the rosy peaks until Mei gasps. She shoves him back to sit on the military cot against the wall, climbing onto his lap and straddling his waist, fitting her mouth against his with hot urgency.

Kisame makes a soft, considering sound as she takes the lead, rolling her hips against him, and she can feel his erection beneath her, rock hard and straining against the rough material of his pants. She plunges her tongue past his lips, teasing the sharp tips of his teeth before flicking it against his own in bold strokes. Her hips seem to move against him of their own volition, attempting to soothe the growing ache at the juncture of her thighs, but only making it worse. He groans, breaking away from her kiss as she grinds down, his hands moving slowly up and down her back before he leans forward and takes one of her nipples between his lips. She inhales sharply through her teeth as the heat of his mouth closes around her pebbled flesh, then his tongue circles and sucks, and she can feel the throb of hot wetness gathering between her legs. He moves from one breast to the other, teasing and tasting until she moans openly.

“So beautiful, Mei-chan,” he whispers, “Kami, I have wanted you for so long.”

“Me too, Kisame. I’m so sorry, everything’s just–”

“Wrong. Not conducive to love. I know, Mei. The Bloody Mist owns us, our fates and futures. But I’ll be damned if I go another day not knowing the feel of you in my arms or the taste of you on my lips.”

He kisses her again, his mouth hot and demanding, and his tongue dips past her lips to tangle with hers, sending thrills of sizzling heat throughout her limbs. Mei shifts off of his lap, and she fumbles at the closure of his pants, working them down his hips, freeing his length. He is as long and thick and perfect as she knew he would be; though casual nudity is commonplace in the outpost barracks and bathhouses, she has never seen him aroused before, and the sight alone makes her body clench and pulse with want. Mei immediately wants to taste him on her tongue, and she begins to drop to her knees, but his hands catch at her waist, stopping her and pulling her closer to him instead.

“Slow down, Mei-chan.” His voice holds a teasing edge, and she huffs in mock disapproval.

Kisame grins for a moment as he deftly unfastens the buttons of her pants, letting the loose cloth fall down the curves of her hips to gather in a small pile at her feet, which she kicks aside. His gaze rakes over her from head to toe, before he gathers her in his arms and pushes her down against the narrow bed. Mei whimpers slightly as he settles over her with a sly smile.

His lips and tongue travel hot, ticklish paths down her body, and he takes his time exploring every inch of silken skin. She is thoroughly flushed and panting by the time he finally presses her knees apart and back, settling between them. Kisame presses a kiss high upon her hip as his fingers part her gently, and his gaze travels over her appreciatively, making her face flood with even more heat. He seems to be memorizing her, and her heart jumps up into her throat at the thought. Other lovers have hardly ever taken enough care to truly see to her pleasure, let alone take the time to become so enraptured with the sight of her body, and she feels oddly self-conscious.

His fingers graze the scars high on her thigh, from a brand marking her as an elite, battle tested kunoichi fit to serve as one of the Kiri ANBU, an honor in and of itself, but one gained at the highest price. She has survived experiences that have broken many before her, and somehow still come out of those trials even stronger than before. Kisame presses his lips over the four scars and looks up at her with an unreadable emotion in his eyes. She is well aware that he knows what the scars represent and what she had to do to gain them, and a tightness weaves through her ribs, making it hard to breathe. These scars are also likely the reason they have never been together, though they have never talked about it before. He meets her eyes, and she wonders for a moment if he will pull away from her now, deeming her too damaged or too sullied by the requirements of their society, and no longer the girl he has loved in secret for all these years.

Except he doesn’t. Instead, he leans in and blows hot breath over her sodden flesh, before slipping his tongue between her nether lips, laving over her clit in lazy, full strokes that bow her spine and wrench helpless moans from her throat. His fingers join in on the assault, gently circling her clit as he moves lower, and presses his tongue past her opening, delving as deep inside her as he is able. Mei can feel him sigh against her as sensations spiral through her body, a sweet tension coiling tighter and tighter as he touches her. He moves, wedging two thick fingers inside her, curling them as she keens and his lips fix over the small bundle of nerves above her opening. He sucks gently, and his fingers move deeper and more firmly inside her, and within moments his actions force her over the edge. She cries out, quickly covering her mouth with the back of her fist as she is buffeted by pure sensation, and her inner walls spasm around his digits so violently that he can probably feel the movement against his tongue.

His fingers slip free of her, and he pauses a moment, audaciously licking her juices from his digits with a grin, and Mei tugs him up to kiss her. She can taste herself on his lips, and the thought of what he just did sends another ripple of pleasure seizing throughout her femininity. His lips move hot on her throat, the edge of his sharp teeth pricking sensitive skin, and she knows she will carry the marks of this joining for days. Each pull of his mouth on her skin makes her moan, and she can feel his cock, hard and hot, as he ruts ever so slightly against her inner thigh.

Mei runs her hands down his neck and the solid muscle of his chest, feeling the sculpted ridges and textures of his body, Her nails rake across the cobbled expanse of his abdominals, and as he shudders against her, she revels in the way he makes her feel small and vulnerable beneath the sheer size of his form, since at the same time, there is safety here, and unexpected tenderness. Kisame is not a handsome man by common standards, but he has always been beautiful in her eyes, albeit in a rough-hewn, wholly masculine way. It’s true that there are those who find his animalistic looks alarming, but once there was pride to be found in taking on the characteristics of the animal affinities associated with one’s clan. His is a rare lineage, all but gone now, and Mei has been drawn to him for as long as she can remember. His eyes are wide with surprise as she traces the gill-like markings across his cheeks, and he goes stock-still as she touches the actual gills across his shoulders, as if waiting for her to recoil. He exhales softly when Mei merely smiles and laces her fingers through his hair, pulling his face back down to kiss her again.

She reaches between their bodies to touch him intimately for the first time, and he hisses through his teeth as her fingers circle his length, skimming the ripe firmness of the tip, already wet with excitement. His skin there is velvet-soft and delicate, though the flesh is as hard as iron in her hand. As she strokes him, Kisame groans, quickly taking her hand in his own, and pulling it away from his manhood.

“Not yet,” he whispers hotly against her cheek, “If you keep at that, you’ll bring me, and I don’t want this to end so quickly.”

“But I want to feel you,” she says, in as sultry a voice as she can muster.

“I want to be inside you, Mei.”

She finds that for once in their lives, she cannot bring herself to argue with him.

His lips meet hers once more, hungrier now. Mei reciprocates in equal measure, threading her hands through the softness of his hair, kissing him harder, more passionately than before. Perhaps she is too enthusiastic, because after a few moments there is a small, sharp pain at the corner of her lip as she nicks herself against the points of his teeth, and the faint taste of copper fills her mouth. Kisame suddenly groans, his tongue flicking over the small abrasion hungrily, as his hips jerk, sliding the length of his member against the wet heat of her core.

Mei sighs, and he draws back, gazing down at her with an almost innocent sense of wonder, as if in that moment she is the very center of his world. There is so much regret, and so much left unsaid between them, but this moment is theirs alone. Kisame leans on one brawny arm to cup her face in his hand, smoothing the hair away from her face so that he can look directly into her eyes as their bodies become one.

He exhales sharply as he begins to enter her, and Mei arches against him, gasping as the head of his cock, so hot and thick, just barely presses past her opening. She is more than ready, open and slick with desire, and as he shifts his hips forward, her body yields to his, and he glides inside her with relative ease, stretching her deliciously. Kisame groans and pants as his hips settle against her, and he looks down at her with lust-clouded eyes, raining tender kisses across her cheeks as she adjusts to the feeling of him so deep inside her. Mei feels full to bursting, pierced so deeply, that she can feel him pressed against the end of her passage. When he finally does begin to move, it’s in long, slow strokes, and Mei can’t help but cry out as every thrust and drag of his body rubs against her just so, setting sensitive nerve endings alight with scintillating pleasure.

The gentleness he shows her is unexpected for a man with a known penchant for bloodthirst and savagery, but she supposes that they know enough of harshness in the world that lies beyond this room. Here, even if only for a little while, they can pretend to be whole, and love like they are free. Mei wraps her legs around Kisame’s waist, content to hold him close, to savor the feeling of him solid, warm, and real; to memorize the sensation of holding him so deep within her body. His movements remain constant and steady, and Kisame’s presence begins to overwhelm her senses. Mei is surrounded by the scent of fresh ocean and warm breezes, she can see nothing but the fervent want in his eyes, hear nothing but their ragged breathing, and the lewd sound of slick, needy flesh meeting and parting over and over again.

Her climax catches her almost off-guard, and she stifles her own cries against his lips as an onslaught of ecstatic sensation crashes through her body, forcing her to contract around him in waves that seem to go on forever. He gives a low, guttural groan, stilling his movements within her, yet he doesn’t spend himself, he simply remains sheathed deep inside her, circling his hips ever so slightly, drawing out her pleasure until even the aftershocks subside. His lips brush over the pulse point at her throat, his tongue and teeth grazing the edge of her collarbone, making her shiver.

In the space of another breath, Kisame somehow reverses their positions so that she is spread over him, impaled by his still-rigid cock. He sits up and Mei pants hard as she anchors herself against his chest, pressing her mouth along the smooth skin of his neck. She kisses him ravenously as his big hands encircle her waist, his fingers nearly meeting around her body. His hands slide down over her hips, gripping tightly, then even tighter as she raises up on her knees and lowers herself back onto him. He angles her pelvis so that the slide of his body hits her in all the right places, and the feeling is sharper, more intense than before. As the sensations escalate, Mei becomes more daring, riding him faster and harder than he moved before, and Kisame groans every time her body shifts down to rest against his hips. When the immense tension coiling within her belly finally snaps again, she buries her face in the curve of his neck to muffle her shrieks as she is wracked by sensations so intense that her vision flashes white. Kisame’s grip is almost bruising as he holds her fast, following her headlong over the precipice of pleasure. He comes with a hoarse groan, and she can feel him alive and pulsing inside her, flooding her womb with the heat of his release.

Their lips meet, breathlessly, endlessly, neither willing to stop because once this is over, they will both have to re-emerge into reality, into a world that neither truly wish to be a part of any longer. Looking into Kisame’s eyes, Mei wonders for a few moments what it might have been like, if their lives had been different, if they had been born outside of the village during a time of peace… if there might have been a future for them together.

“Run away with me, Mei,” Kisame suddenly whispers. “We can’t live like this.”

“What?! It’s impossible. You know they’ll hunt us.” Mei stammers quietly. If anyone should overhear them beyond these thin walls, it might as well be a death sentence.

“We’re skilled enough to outrun them.”

“There are others depending on us. What happens to them if we’re gone?”

“The same thing that happens if we stay. This mission was just a taste of what’s to come. The system is broken, and we’re on our own. There has to be something more, and I intend to find it. I want you with me.”

“But I can’t just up and leave the others behind.” Mei’s voice breaks, and she feels as though something vital is tearing within her chest. The tears come unbidden, as now, she knows that with full certainty this is not the beginning of what lies between them, but rather a hastening towards the end.

Kisame looks crestfallen, but accepting. He knows her too well, knows her strength, her unwavering courage, and her constant drive to protect that which she holds dear. Mei nurtures within herself and others that which he has always lacked: hope. She takes a deep, shuddering breath, trying to keep from letting her tears get the best of her, and he kisses her tenderly, tasting the traces of blood and salt left on her lips.

“I understand. I really do.” His voice is thick, almost strangled, and his arms tighten around her. Mei can feel a slight hot wetness seeping through her hair, and a vague tremble in his breathing.

This is it. This is the end.

They hold each other, trading sorrowful kisses, until the fire between them rises once more. When he takes her again, it is rough, and desperately wild. He leaves his mark on every part of her he can, and when he is done, she feels as though he is branded upon every inch of her being. When they are both spent, she cannot help but to doze in his arms, and as she drifts off to sleep, she can barely hear it when he whispers in her ear.

“I love you, Mei. I always will.”

 

* * *

 

Mei wakes to the sound of pounding on her door, and the gruff voice of her second in command alerting her to their departure in less than an hour. She is alone, and very cold despite the blankets carefully tucked up around her. Her body aches, and as memories of the previous night flow into the forefront of her mind, the pain of true heartbreak sets in, and she knows what she has to do. She will allow herself exactly five minutes to cry without restraint, screaming her sorrows into a pillow tucked between her teeth, and when she is done, she will shut the door on her feelings, leaving them behind as she leaves this room. 

She does exactly that, and thus ignores the hollow ache in her chest as she dresses and prepares for the trek back home to Kiri. Emotions are her enemy, and she locks hers away behind a facade of efficiency, clinging to her responsibilities, and making duty her main reason for moving forward.

As captain, Mei knows she has no choice but to report Kisame’s desertion to her superiors, and alert the hunter-nin to pursue him, but at the very least, she will give him a head start, secretly hoping that he does manage to outrun them. The logical part of her mind knows that he is as good as dead. Then again, at this point they all are, serving to the needs of a hopelessly corrupt government. Her next mission will likely be her last. Mei’s continually patched up heart has finally been torn to ribbons, and there is nothing left to salvage. She has nothing left to lose.

The road is rough and long, but after half a day’s travel at the highest speeds manageable, the village gates are in sight. The normal checkpoints are guarded by new recruits, and this is a curiosity in and of itself. There are more people out on the streets, and the air is charged with excitement. The remaining squads of Mei’s unit assemble in the courtyard of Jounin headquarters and are met not by the usual handful of commanding officers, but a small contingent of elders. To see them unaccompanied by Yagura is jarring to say the least, and when Mei sees Ao with them, she knows something of great consequence has happened in the span of hours since she last saw him.

When Ao spots her, he approaches quickly, followed by the elders, and when he bows to her in greeting, she looks at him incredulously. Then he speaks, and his words nearly stop her heart.

“The Yondaime Mizukage is no more. Welcome home, Godaime-sama.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading, I truly hope you enjoyed it! 
> 
> If you did enjoy it, please leave kudos or a comment to let me know what you thought - all feedback is like creative food for hungry authors :3
> 
> Find me on Tumblr: [awintersrose.tumblr.com](http://awintersrose.tumblr.com)


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